Comment Dozens of conservative leaders are calling on Republican lawmakers to postpone their leadership election until next month, echoing the demands of several frustrated Republicans in the Senate and House after the much-hyped “red wave” failed to materialize in the midterm elections. In an open letter Monday to Republican members of Congress, 72 conservative leaders said there “should not be a rushed leadership election,” pointing to the fact that several congressional races remain to be called and that the Senate race in Georgia will goes to the second round. . “The Republican Party needs leaders who will confidently and skillfully present a compelling coherent vision of who we are, what we stand for and what we will do,” the letter said. He continued: “Conservative members of the House and Senate have called for the leadership election to be delayed. We strongly urge both Houses of Congress to postpone the formal leadership election until after the Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia and all election results are fully decided.” Signatories include Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, attorney and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Matt Schlapp, president of the Conservative Political Action Coalition. and Mark Meadows, who was Trump’s White House chief of staff. Axios was mentioned first in the letter. The House GOP is scheduled to hold its leadership election on Tuesday, while the Senate GOP will vote on leadership on Wednesday. Republican leaders in both chambers have pushed back against calls to delay the votes. Several members of the House Freedom Caucus, staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump, have already said they will not support House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.). But McCarthy kicked off his campaign for the speech last week by sending a letter to fellow Republicans in which he said he felt “confident” the GOP would achieve its goal of regaining control of the House. “I think you know that winning the majority is just the beginning,” McCarthy wrote. “Now, we will be measured by what we do with our majority. Now, the real work begins. That is why I am running to serve as Speaker of the House of the People and I humbly ask for your support.” In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also faced criticism and calls to postpone the leadership vote. “I don’t know why the Senate GOP would hold a leadership vote for the next Congress before this election is over,” Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) tweeted, joining several other Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott (Fla. ), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia M. Lummis (Wyo.) and Lindsey O. Graham (SC), in a push to delay the vote until after the Dec. 6 runoff between Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) and Republican Herschel Walker. Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the chairman of the Senate GOP conference, said the election will be held Wednesday. Democratic lawmakers remained confident on Nov. 13 after their party won control of the Senate, although control of the House remains unknown. (Video: The Washington Post) House Democrats will hold their leadership election starting November 30. In interviews at policy debates Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) declined to say whether she would seek the presidency again if Democrats retain control of the House — which is a slim possibility. Control of the House remained balanced on Monday, with no party yet to secure the 218 seats needed for a majority. Most of the uncalled congressional races are in California, where ballots are valid if mailed on Election Day and where final tallies can take weeks to determine.
